The husband is had a great week. He won two awards for work performance. The prizes are trips to Ireland and Switzerland. 

It was also his birthday on Sunday. Happy birthday sweetheart! Sunday, we had a few friends over to celebrate.

Pinched nerve news-- this morning was the first time I haven't felt pain since December. The tingle and numbness is still there. Overall, things are headed in the right direction.

80% of my therapy is proper posture. 20% are exercises to help muscles weakened after decades of slouching. Good posture is tiring, especially at the end of the day. I just want to chill and watch a little TV. No laying back or slouching for me. I sit like an alert student.

Work is going through a reorg, but in a good way. My org is growing. In addition to my existing teams I will pick up a team in Toronto as well as the team in Sydney Australia.

I am looking forward to visiting my Australia team.

In all honesty, one of my strengths is in dealing with geographically diverse teams. It helped that I travel to Toronto regularly for family. 

I'm more optimistic about my pinched nerve. The physiotherapist has also given me a few good exercises. I'm only prescribed to do them once a day. One of them feels so good  that I'm doing it four or five times.

The THC infused ointment helps. It's relief lasts five or six hours.

When I told the husband that I was taking the topical THC painkiller he made a joke about rubbing it all over his body.

With this I am back to a state where I can get mostly decent sleep.

Tommy writes.. 

usually the the block last 6 to 12 months sometimes longer depending on the person and the nerve. its an injection that some of my friends have had.

I hope it doesn't last that long. I have started with physiotherapy and go back to my regular doctor for more scans in about a month.

I have also bought a THC and CBD infused, topical pain relief ointment. It smells like menthol. I haven't told the husband that it's THC infused, but I don't think he would be concerned given that it's only topical. 

I am flashing back to all the times I've smelt menthol and eucalyptus on old people. I don't want this yet here I am.

The should pain, the pinched nerve, stays with me non-stop. Sometimes if I contort my body a certain way, then it will let up. However, one can only contort their body for so long. So far I've been to my regular doctor, a massage therapist and a chiropractor. No relief. Acetaminophen works ok.  A take a dose before I go to bed.

At work we are having a reorg. Oddly this is an easy time for me. We are not laying people off, though that comes to everyone's mind. It's my job to answer questions and to assure them of their future. 

Palm Springs was a pleasant weekend get-away. The weather was sunny and 65ish while we were there. The husband and I had a chat about moving to Palm Springs. We know many people who spend part of the year there.  It's a popular place for gay retirement. I can see why. The weather is pleasant in the winter and the homes are more affordable than Seattle.

It's also insanely hot in the summer. One couple said they spend over $1000.00 per month on AC during the hot times of the year. Neither the husband enjoy extreme heat.  

We are down in Palm Springs for a few days. It's Allen's birthday. He wanted to celebrate there and he invited us along.

I have a pinched nerve somewhere in my back or shoulder. I've had it for a two or three weeks. I'm not in great pain. just a constant ache with intermittent finger and arm tigles. I've gone to the doctor about it. In the short run there is not much that can be done--improve my posture, stretch regularly, exercise. While I have a pinched nerve, I don't have a loss of strength or coordination, so this may be something my body just has to work out. If the pain continues for a few more months, then we can start scans. 

And back to work today. 

Aside from my Uncle's death, the holidays were festive. We had friends and family over for dinner on Christmas and New Years eve. We attended the brother-in-law's birthday party. We ate too much, especially cookies and cake. 

I'm not going to weigh my self till ext week. Let's see what the damage is after a week of normal eating.

My Uncle has passed way. This is a blessing. He was in rapid decline from his cancer. 

He was 87.

Prechristmas (Advent?) is quiet. The weather, a mixture of snow and freeing rain, has been keeping many people at home. 

To keep the hummingbird feeder from freezing, I've been brining in at night. The birds are grateful when I return it in the morning. 

Wednesday and Thursday I did go to work. My VP had some use-it-or-lose-it money that he needed to spend before the end of year, so we had an impromptu holiday get-together at work.

 And, of course, somebody at our party had COVID. The husband and I are feeling fine. 

Saturday, we hosted a holiday open house for our AA friends. Maybe 30 people showed up. It was good. 

We have way too many leftovers now. Ham, crackers and cookies in particular. I've been impulsively snacking on the cookies.

Christmas, we are hosting a smaller party for family. Whatever is left will be served then.

We've been busy. Nothing much here to pontificate on. I'm just writing it all down so that I remember.

Two weekends ago we saw "Pink Martini."

Last weekend we saw "Jingle all the gay" on Friday. This is an annual holiday drag show. The two friends we saw it with said it's basically the same script every year, freshened up a bit to poke fun at whatever politics are current. 

Saturday was the Seattle Symphony Christmas Pops. Sunday--dinner with Evan and Allen.

The husband has flown to CA for a few days for work.

We've had a gentle snow off and on over the past three days. We've finished with the Christmas decorations. Merry Christmas everyone. Happy Holidays.

The husband has a grade school friend in from out of town. She had a day long layover in Seattle, so they decided to get together. It's a pleasant day with her. She is decidedly more introverted than most of the husband's other friends, but she is enjoying the conversation. 

There is one thing I can do... when I am over 75, and should I start showing dementia, then I could move into a retirement home with memory care. The husband would have to catch up. I don't want to burden him with caring for me. 

While that's not a particularly deep thought, it does give me a little comfort. 

Bathwater writes....
> Both my parents died within a year of becoming ill. I hope that is the way I go.

I hope that for myself as well. It's not something I have control over. I have seen people who have died quickly after their decline started. I've also seen the process take years. This is all complicated if the person isn't in constant pain. 

I'm not sure how death-with-dignity, assisted suicide, would work. My mother has had Alzheimers for years. I have an aunt who is basically a vegetable and has been so for months. They are not suffering. They don't, (can't!) realize they are burden to others.

For me to decide on a death-with-dignity, I'd have to be 75+ years old and still mentally fit, but seeing the first signs of dementia. I'm not sure I could make that choice.

After a whirlwind trip through Toronto, we are back in Seattle.

In Toronto, we hung out with my friends, saw "Mean Girls," toured museums and ate too much.

Of course my friends have their own life challenges. We all have aging parents, some of whom also have dementia. One couple has an autistic child who can be a handful. 

These eastern Ontario farmers can be fiercely independent and frugal. Often to a fault. I've seen them bring their own cookies to a coffee shop.

To be this frugal, they learn to be a jack of all trades. Sometimes they must be a vet. Sometimes a mechanic or welder. Sometimes a builder, a carpenter or plumber. As a kid I remember being in awe of the breadth of their knowledge. 

At my parents home there is a sink in the laundry room. The drain has developed a small leak. This is not an emergency, but it must be dealt with. This morning, Dad and I took a look at it.

Dad pulled back the sink so we see the drain better. What I saw made me ill. Generations of farmers have been too frugal, have been hacking at that drain connection. It was a Frankenstein of different pipes, fittings and flanges. 

We discussed how to fix the leak. I suggested we remove and replace a few more of the pipes so that we could start with something new and predictable. There are so many joints under that sink that if we don't get it just right, then another leak would open up nearby. Dad pointed out that if we started down that path, then there would be no end in site. He called it Mickey-Mouse plumbing. The house is full of it. He found it best to leave it alone as much as possible.

And so we are building yet another pipe-flange-fitting combo. We will add it on to the rest of the beast that is this house's plumbing. 

As it turns out, dad has a closet dedicated to plumbing odds and ends-- little bits of pipes each of a slightly different diameter, different kinds of seals and sealants and the tools needed to adapt all this to fix the leak-du-jour. 

Fiercely independent and frugal. Often to a fault.

The uncles and aunts are getting old. My parents are on the younger side-- 78. My oldest uncle is 91.

Another uncle has cancer. It has spread through his system. This uncle is 87. Independent of his diagnosis, he had just been accepted to a retirement home. He must still shut down and sell his current home.

My mother-- what about my mother. She has memory issues. She has Alzheimer's. She had cancer. Perhaps she is over the the cancer. The last scan was good.

And she has energy and is so very cheerful. She can't be left alone. She likes to talk, reciting the same stories over and over-- repeatedly asking the same question.  And she is so very cheerful. 

When I am at their home, I will spend time with mom while dad does errands around their property. If mom is not around dad for long, then she will wonder where he is, and eventually will decide to go out and look for him. I can gently talk to her, reminder her that dad will be back in a few minutes. She doesn't need to go out to find him.

And dad-- he has an encyclopedic knowledge of the local map.  Who owns what property. Who owned it it before. How well each property is taken care of.

The GPS and map on my phone work well here. Still when I'm going someplace, dad insists on giving me the directions with color commentary.